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Neave's got baby blues (and twos)

Susannah Wright and Kirsty Elleray
1/ 5/2008

A STUDENT mid-wife delivered a baby on the backseat of a police car after a frantic dash failed to get a mum-to-be to hospital on time.

Fallowfield’s Neave Maloney received an SOS from a police officer, who was bringing Alicia Royles to hospital to say there wasn’t going to be enough time to get her to the delivery room.

The PC had been flagged down by the desperate couple who realised that there wasn’t time to wait for an ambulance.

Quick thinking Neave, 20, who was working in the maternity ward of Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport at the time, dashed downstairs and delivered the baby in the hospital’s car park.

It was only the 14th baby she has delivered since becoming a student nurse 18 months ago.

Neave, of Edith Avenue, Fallowfield, said: "I’ve delivered a few babies but never one in a carpark before.

"It was all a bit of a rush but exciting. Alicia coped really well bearing in mind she was in the back of a police car!

"It was an amazing feeling to have been able to help her and see the baby come out."

She added: "It was my first day back on maternity duties after working on other wards, so I was a bit nervous, but one of the midwives asked if I wanted to make the delivery, so I put on the gloves and rushed out.

"She and another midwife were on hand too, to make sure I did everything properly."

Twenty-eight-year-old Alicia was being driven by her boyfriend, Brett Scase, 32, from their home in Hyde to the hospital.

Worried that they weren’t going to get there in time, they flagged down a police car to ask them to get an ambulance.

Alicia said: "At first I was not in a rush as my contractions were every four minutes. Then in the car they became every minute and we had to pull over.

"The ambulance did not come for what seemed like ages, when in reality it had only been about five minutes.

"But at around 12.10pm my waters broke and the police officers picked me up out of our car into the back of the police car and rushed us to hospital with the lights and siren on."

She added: "I was on the back seat and had to start pushing. It was scary." Although Neave and the midwives had gone to the carpark with a wheelchair to take Alicia to the delivery suite, she could not move and so they covered the police car with sheets for privacy.

Bailey Jack, weighing 6lbs 3oz, was born at 12.27pm on Wednesday, April 23.

Alicia, who also has an eight-year-old son Andrew with Brett, added: "It is a good story to tell Bailey when he is older. I would like to say a big thank you to the police and the midwives."

PC Dan Jones and PC Victoria Wade were the officers who came to Alicia’s rescue.

PC Jones, 30, who has one child of his own, said: "We have not done anything like this before, it was quite shocking, but an amazing experience.

"We were pleased to take part in the birth and help the mum, it was certainly different. It is not every day you are called to a job like that."